David Sloan Wilson, a distinguished professor emeritus of biological sciences at Binghamton University, is the lead author of a new paper that explores the advanced and groundbreaking—but seldom discussed—field of cultural evolution.
Looking at humanity through a lens of cultural evolution shows that "we are neither cooperative nor selfish," Wilson says. “We are capable of both—so becoming cooperative requires providing the right environmental conditions. Also, cultural evolution helps us to recognize the common denominators that apply across all contexts of our lives—our families, neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and so on, and at all scales, from small groups to the planet. This is very empowering.”
He holds up one program for at-risk high school students that he helped to design in 2010 at Regents Academy in Binghamton, New York. He says “By providing the right social environment, kids who flunked three or more of their classes during the previous year [2010] performed as well as the average high school student in the district [in 2011]."
Article: We Did Not Evolve To Be Selfish
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